The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing system, such as a shared printer and a digital printing system, which receive data from a plurality of clients though, for example, a local area network (LAN) or the like.
Recently, more and more office automation (OA) apparatuses have been connected to a LAN and used. Personal computers (PCs) and the like are also connected to a LAN, and data is exchanged between them. In many cases, a plurality of PCs share one printer, not each PC having one printer connected to it. Each PC may receive data from any other PC in the network and transmits it to the shared printer in the network, whereby the shared printer prints the data. Another PC called xe2x80x9cserverxe2x80x9d is provided in the network to control data that is to be transmitted to the shared printer.
Upon receipt of pieces of print data from a plurality of PCs, the server stores them into a queue. The printer then prints pieces of data sequentially, in the order they have been input to the queue. Namely, the printer performs so-called xe2x80x9cfirst in, first outxe2x80x9d process.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-11234 discloses the technique of storing data into a queue and processing, thereby to alter the setting of particular print data.
More specifically, one printer is connected two or more PCs by a LAN. The printer can therefore receive pieces of print data from the plurality of PCs. Thus, one printer is shared by a plurality of PC users. In addition, the printer and the PCs can be arranged more freely than otherwise. For example, each PC user can put the PC on his or her desk, while the shared printer can be installed at any place the PC users have agreed on.
A problem will arise, however, if the printer and the PC are arranged so. Some users may have their PCs located relatively near the printer, but some others inevitably have their PCs located far from the printer. The PC users of the latter group have to walk a long distance to take the printed sheets at the shared printer.
To make matters worse, the user may find that the printed sheets are of lower quality than he or she really wants. For example, the hatching over some printed characters in a word-processed document happens to be darker or lighter than is desired. In this case, the user needs to print the data again and, hence, must walk back to his or her PC. The user must reset the various print instructions on the PC, then push the print button, and walk again all the way to the shared printer to take the new printed sheets.
Thus, the user may need to spend much time to get desirable printed sheets if his PC is located far from the shared printer and if the sheets printed first by the printer are undesirable ones, compelling him or her to walk back to the PC and reset the print instructions on the PC.
As mentioned above, in a system comprising one printer and a plurality of PCs, each PC user needs to walk to the printer to get printed sheets unless the printer is installed just beside his or her PC. Moreover, if the printed sheets are of undesirable quality, the PC user must walk back to his or her PC to reset the print instructions and push the print button, and must walk again to the printer to take the sheet printed for the second time. As a consequence, the PC user cannot get desirable print sheets quickly.
The object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a printing system, the system comprising at least one printing apparatus and a plurality of personal computers and which enables each user to reset print instructions at the printing apparatus to get printed sheets of the quality the user desires.
According to the invention there is provided an image forming apparatus which comprises: receiving means receiving a plurality of pages of image data transmitted through a communication line and receiving a partial print request signal requesting that only a part of the image data be printed; storage means for storing the image data and the partial print request signal, both received at the receiving means; and printing means for printing a part of the image data in response to the partial print request signal stored in the storage means.
The image forming apparatus, or the printer, prints at least a part of the image data, not all the image data transmitted an image data processing device through the communication line as in the conventional printing system.
The user examines the printed sheets and, if necessary, changes the print values by operating the control panel provided on the printer. Then, the user operates the control panel to have all image data printed at the printer.
Thus it can be prevented that all pages printed in accordance with print values all set at a personal computer turn out to have undesirable quality as may happen in the conventional printing system. That is, all pages can be printed only when the user checks at least one page printed for trial and then changes, if necessary, the print values to desired ones on the control panel of the printer. This helps the user to have sheets printed in the desired quality, with ease and reliability.
Therefore, the user need not repeatedly walk between his or her personal computer and the printer, to check the print quality and change the print values, as in the conventional printing system. Thus, the present invention provides a printing system that enables the user to get quickly printed sheets of desired quality.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.